Hot top blocking



un KUUM April 19, 1949. ANTHONY 2,467,649

HOT TOP BLOCKING Filed Dec. 2'7, 1946 m M? a a n a H a an a an. R J- 7 a H N s Illll I /////U6 H 4| N- in 1. 2 L W 1 W n W m .7 SW M n m hm W Patented Apr. 19, 1949 HOT TOP BLOCKING Benjamin F. Anthony, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Ferro Engineering Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 27, 1946, Serial No. 718,708

7 Claims. (Cl. 22-147) This invention relates to improvements in hot top blocking, that is to say means for temporarily supporting a hot top upon an ingot mold during the pouring of the metal.

In the casting of ingots it has been found desirable to employ what are called floating hot tops, that is hot tops which rest upon the molten metal itself after the pouring of the ingot is completed. Prior to that time the hot top is supported upon the top of the mold by suitable means, generally by blocks of wood of a length such that the hot top extends a predetermined distance down into the mold cavity. When the metal is poured and reaches the required level in the hot top, a workman knocks out the blocking and the hot top thereafter floats upon the metal, descending more or less as the metal cools and shrinks. Failure to follow this procedure is likely to cause so-called hanger cracks in the skin of the ingot, high surface conditioning costs on the rolled product; or outright scrapping of the product.

Wooden blocks for this purpose are subject to certain objections. They are expendable, which is advantageous, but they must be placed by hand when the hot top is lowered onto the mold, and they may become dislodged while the mold and hot top are being hauled over rough trackage or jerked to a start or to a standstill, thereby causing the hot top to fall at one side and become tilted. In accordance with my invention the supporting means remains with the hot top at all times, is in place and requires no attention when the hot top is lowered onto the mold, and cannot be dislodged by rough handling.

One of the objects of the invention therefore is the provision of hot top blocking or supporting means which will be carried by the hot top and be ready for use without attention from a workman when the hot top is lowered into position upon a mold.

Another object is the provision of supporting means of the character stated which may be disabled quickly and easily in order to permit the hot top to float upon the molten metal when the ingot has been poured.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a mold and hot top in position adjacent a pouring platform, indicating the condition of the apparatus and the 2 ingot just prior to the disabling of the hot top blocking.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental view on a larger scale showing one of the hot top supports in operative position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the hot top support disabled and the hot top floating on the metal of the ingot.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view looking upwardly from the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified means for retaining the post in the hot top against accidental displacement, and

Fig. 6 isa fragmental view showing a portion of a spring clip which may be employed in connection with the invention.

In the drawing It represents an ingot buggy or stool disposed in front of a pouring platform, the surface of which is indicated by the line H in Fig. 1. A big end up mold is indicated-at l2 and a hot top of the floating type is shown at II. The detail construction of the hot top is of minor importance from the standpoint of my invention, but as illustrated herein it is a composite top embodying a casing ll formed of one or more iron castings, the casing having an internal ledge at the bottom thereof supporting a refractory lining IS. A refractory bottom ring it intended for a single use is attached to the bottom of the casing, a sheet metal wiper strip I! being interposed between the casing and the bottom ring. Hot tops of this general character are in wide use in the steel industry.

The lower portion of the hot top is of such dimensions that it may be lowered into the cavity of the mold to the desired extent, the wiper strip l1 engaging the mold wall. The upper part of the hot top, the casing in this instance, has an overhanging portion II. A vertical hole 2| is bored into this overhang from the lower surface thereof adjacent the outer wall of the lower portion of the hot top. The hole is of a diameter to slidably receive a post 2| which is preferably a section of iron pipe. Its lower end may be cut on a bevel, as shown, for the purpose of facilitating the centering of the hot top in the mold cavity. Post 21 projects far enough into hole 2. to insure its stability against lateral movement, and is steadied by its contact with the exterior wall of the casting below the overhang.

In order to prevent accidental removal or loss of the post during the handling of the hot top means is provided to yieldably hold the post in the hole. As herein disclosed I employ for this purpose a spring clip having a loop 22 which projects vertically from the pipe and is formed to have a natural transverse dimension somewhat greater than the diameter of hole 20. This loop is integral with a pair of fingers 23, the lower ends of which are rebent and have sharp prongs 24. The fingers 23 in their natural state flare outwardly toward the bottom of the clip as indicated in Fig. 6. In assembling the clip with the pipe the fingers are drawn together sufficiently to permit them to enter the upper end of the pipe, and the clip may then be pushed readily into the pipe until the loop 22 prevents further movement. The removal of the clip from the pipe is rendered diflicult for the reason that the prongs 24 in their natural state are spaced from their respective fingers slightly further than the internal diameter of the pipe and any pull of a reasonable degree on the loop merely tends to make the prongs bite deeper into the metal of the pipe.

Means must be provided for preventing the hot top from sliding down on the posts 2|, and this means must be capable of being readily disabled when the ingot has been poured in order that the hot top may then descend relative to the posts 2| so as to float on the metal of the ingot. The means which I prefer to employ for this purpose consists of an angular lever constructed preferably of heavy wire. This lever is conveniently formed as a two-sided lever straddling the pipe 2| and connected thereto to turn about a horizontal axis. A transverse horizontal hole 25 is bored through the pipe to take the ends 26 of the lever, these ends thus constituting the lever pivot. Disposed at right angles to the ends 26 are two arm portions 2'! that run into rather sharp bends 28 from which the operating arm portions 29 extend, the latter being connected together by a curved part 30. In the Fig. 2 position of the lever the bends 28 engage the undersurface of the overhang I8 inwardly of the vertical plane through the pivot. In this position the operating arms 29 of the lever extend laterally in a substantially horizontal direction. To disable the lever it is necessary for an operator merely to push down upon or strike the arms 29 with any convenient tool, the lever then assuming the position of Fig. 3. Thereupon the hot top will be released from the supporting action of the posts 2| and it may slidedown relative thereto as indicated in Fig. 3, the spring loop 22 readily yielding under the weight of the hot top.

When the hot top is stripped from the ingot the supporting posts and their associated parts remain in the position of Fig. 3. When the hot top is conditioned for the next heat the operator grasps the handle portions 29 of the lever and swings them up to the position of Fig. 2, thereby pulling the post 2| downwardly into position for supporting the hot top when it is next lowered onto an ingot mold.

In Fig. I have shown a somewht diiferent means for releasably retaining a p0st*2|' in the hole 20. Saw kerfs 32 are formed at diametrically opposed positions in the upper end 'of the pipe 2|, and the semi-cylindrical sections of pipe formed by these kerfs are flared outwardly to a very slight extent so that when the pipe is pushed into the hole these flared sections frictionally grip the walls of the hole.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a hot top having a. lower portion adapted to enter the ingot mold with which the hot top is to be used and an upper portion overhanging said lower portion, said upper portion having a downwardly opening hole there in, a supporting post slidably mounted in said hole and adapted to rest at its lower end against the top of the mold, and means carried by said post for engagement with the hot top to prevent relative movement of said post into said hole beyond a predetermined extent. said means being disengageable from the hot top to permit said post to pass into said hole beyond said predetermined extent.

2. A hot top as defined in claim 1, wherein said post is provided with yieldable means tending to retain it in its hole.

3. A hot top as defined in claim 1, wherein said post is a pipe and carries an upwardly extending spring loop of normally greater cross dimension than the diameter of said hole, said loop tending to retain said pipe in its hole, said spring loop having fingers extending into the pipe provided with prongs for engagement with the internal wall of the pipe, the weight of the pipe being insumcient to dislodge it from said fingers or to dislodge said spring loop from said hole.

4. In combination, a hot top having a lower portion adapted to enter the ingot mold with which the hot top is to be used and an upper portion overhanging said lower portion, said upper portion having a downwardly opening hole therein, a supporting post slidably mounted in said hole and adapted to rest at its lower end against the top of the mold, and means carried by said post adapted when in one position to engage said overhanging portion and prevent downward movement of the hot top relative to the post, said means being shiftable manually to another position in which such movement is permitted.

5. A hot top as defined in claim 4, wherein the mounting for said shiftable means comprises a horizontal pivotal connection with said post and the point of engagement of said shiftable means with said overhanging portion is inward of the vertical plane through said connection.

6. A hot top as defined in claim 4, wherein said shiftable means comprises an operating arm which in its operative position projects laterally from said post.

7. A hot top as defined in claim 4, wherein said shiftable means is an angular lever pivotally mounted in said post to turn about a horizontal axis and comprises an operating arm which in its operative position projects laterally and an intermediate angular portion for engagement with said overhanging portion of the hot top adjacent said post.

BENJAMIN F. ANTHONY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,738,209 Rowe Dec. 3, 1929 2,287,772 Anthony June 30, 1942 

